Qualified out-of-work residents can begin claiming benefits for unemployment in Missouri shortly after losing their job through no fault of their own. The federal unemployment benefits of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) program can provide financial stability to former workers during the interim period between jobs.

We have compiled helpful information, hints, and tips about claiming unemployment benefits in Missouri on this website and FAQs and our free guide. Learn more about unemployment benefits in Missouri by reading below, checking out our Missouri FAQs, and reading our free guide.

Learn About Unemployment Benefits in Missouri

To submit a Missouri unemployment benefits claim, UI applicants must meet the program’s requirements, which are administered on a state level by the MO Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. And to continue receiving payments, UI beneficiaries must maintain their eligibility for unemployment benefits on a weekly basis. 

In general, only UI petitioners who were laid off due to lack of work or who have left their employment with good cause, such as intolerable working conditions, can claim unemployment benefits in MO.

They must also meet the following wage requirements: 

• Make at least $2,250—at least $1,500 during one of the calendar quarters, and at least $750 during the remainder of the base period—from an insured employer during your base period. 
• Your total base period wages must be at least 1.5 times your highest quarter wages.

If your total base period wages are not at least 1.5 times your highest quarter wages, then you must make at least 1.5 times the Taxable Wage Base during two of the four base period quarters, which the state lists on the Department of Labor website.

Learn About Filing a Claim in Missouri

Employees who would like to claim unemployment benefits in Missouri must prove they meet the state UI requirements. After you collect the documents and information necessary to prove your eligibility for federal unemployment benefits in Missouri, you can submit your unemployment benefits claim in one of several methods:

•  Via the department’s Online Claims Filing System
•  In person at one of the department’s Regional Claims Centers (RCC)
•  By contacting your local RCC via telephone

Note: Part-time workers may also be eligible for limited unemployment benefits.

How Long Your May Receive Benefits in Missouri

Claiming benefits for unemployment in Missouri is not a one-time task. If you would like to receive insurance for every week of unemployment, you must prove that you still meet the eligibility requirements to claim unemployment benefits.

Continued eligibility is a mandatory procedure in which you must report:

• Your weekly wages from your employment period.
• Your job-seeking activities.
• Results from your job search.
• Any offers you have received during this period.

In MO, you can do this by phone, online or by mail. Failure to do so will lead to possible termination of federal unemployment benefits. Former workers who qualify for benefits can receive a maximum amount of 20 weeks of benefits.

Many recipients mistake unemployment benefits extensions for continued eligibility. Namely, extended benefits are only available when emergency programs are activated in periods of high unemployment.

Learn About Federal Income Taxes and Federal Unemployment Benefits in Missouri

Unemployment benefits claims in MO are subject to federal income taxes. Recipients can send an authorization form to the Department of Labor in Missouri to deduct taxes automatically. The department will deduct 10 percent of your weekly unemployment benefits claim if you enable federal income tax deduction.

Some information you will need to complete the special request includes: 

•  Your name
•  Your address
•  Your state
•  Your ZIP code
•  Your Social Security number

The completed form, together with the date and your signature, should be submitted by mail or fax to the Missouri Division of Employment Security. You also have the option to cancel this deduction. Your request will be processed and begin the week in which your form is received by the division’s Benefits Section.

Note that unemployment benefits are subject to federal income tax only if you are required to file a tax return. 

Last Updated: February 28, 2023